


A Nursing Experience for the Demon King!

by xxxDreamingflowerxxx



Category: Hataraku Maou-Sama! | The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Genre: Comedy, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Humor, One Shot, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 06:38:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6227830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxDreamingflowerxxx/pseuds/xxxDreamingflowerxxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Emi asks Maou to take care of Alas-Ramus while she cleans her apartment, she collapses. Having no other choice, the Demon King decides to look after the sick hero and take care of their daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Nursing Experience for the Demon King!

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place after the event of Volume 6 of the Novel.
> 
> Original publish date: 9/6/2015

It was another normal day in Tokyo, Japan. While the clouds covered the sun rays and gave the city a gloomy feel, people still continued their daily life. Even in the apartment building of Eifukucho, the inhabitants continue their daily activities.

"This should do it for now."

The woman, who was carefully moving her furniture let out a heavy sigh. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the cloth she was holding. The woman was none other than the Hero from another world, Emilia Justina, known as Yusa Emi in Japan. She was adorning a loose white shirt and some jeans, her hair tied up in a ponytail. The gloomy weather made her decide to clean her apartment from top to toe on her day off.

"Who knew that it would all get so dusty in such a short period."

A grunt escaped her lips after taking a glance at the room. While it had only been twenty minutes since she started, she was already tired and covered in sweat. Autumn may have started, but summer was still showing its signs and as that was not enough, surprisingly her air-conditioning wasn't helping much. Another drop of sweat dripped slowly on her forehead.

"This is no good."

While proceeding carefully with vacuuming, she muttered those words softly to herself. Her obsession with getting her apartment super clean and dust free made her unaware of the movements around her. The door to her bedroom clicked open softly, unheard by the hero because of the noise. A soft tug on her shirt made the woman stop her actions and look down.

"Mama."

The small girl around the age of two, soft silver hair and a purple strand in the front stared at the hero, her big round purple eyes staring slightly sad at her mother.

"When can we go and see papa?"

Emi looked at the child with uncertainty. It had been a while since they visited the girl's papa.

"Alas=Ramus..."

The infant named Alas=Ramus was like the hero no normal entity. She was a personification of a fragment of Yesod, taken the form of an infant and claimed the hero to be her mama. As for Alas=Ramus' papa...

"Mama is busy as you can see, also..."

Emi looked out of the window.

"The weather is not nice today. It may be dry at the moment, but it can rain any second. I can't have you fall ill the next day after last week."

Tears began to form in the girl's eyes. "But, but, I want to see papa."

The hero let out another tired sigh. She couldn't really blame the child. It had been a while since she visited him, it was not like she did it on purpose. She knew how much Alas=Ramus loved her 'papa' but Emi could not find any time to visit, it had been a very long and busy week and even on her day off, she could not afford to rest, no matter how tired and sore her muscles felt at the moment. After wiping another drop of sweat, she sighed. The child was already sobbing and Emi knew all too well how hard it was to calm the girl down.

She placed the vacuum cleaner down and took out her cell phone, dialing a number she preferred to evade calling as much as possible. The hero, let out a sneeze before the other end of the line answered.

"What do you want Emi?"

"Can you keep an eye on Alas=Ramus for a while?"

Her sudden, abrupt question had obviously taken the person on the other side of the line off-guard.

"Did something happen?"

The hero was reluctant to say anything. "It's just that I'm busy and can't give her the attention she needs and on top of that she's asking for you."

Again there was a silence.

"Can I go see papa?"

The little girl who stood next to her mama and clearly knew Emi was having a conversation with her 'papa' asked her mother hopefully.

"Don't worry, papa will come right now!"

The sudden change of tone and volume in his voice surprised the hero as she quickly pulled away her phone and rubbed her ear.

"I'll... Text you the address so that you don't get lost, Demon King."

"Uh, wait, what?! Emi, what do you...?"

She hung up right before he could finish his sentence. Silence hung in the apartment and the hero collapsed on the ground, letting out a tired groan. While Alas=Ramus began to run happily through the living room, thrilled that she would finally see her 'papa' again.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to this..."

Against her better judgement, she had done one of the few things she'd never agree on in her right mind.

"I can't believe I allowed the Demon King to come here..."

Taking the role of the mother was the Hero of Ente Isla Emilia Justina while the role of the father was none other than the person the Hero was destined to defeat, the Demon King Satan Jacob, who took the identity of Maou Sadao in Japan. While in the past she would have preferred to evade having any contact with him, but the sudden arrival of Alas=Ramus had forced them to take the roles of her parents and after various battles against visitors from both heaven and the demon world, the two had become even more acquainted with each other, especially after the revelation from a certain angel Emilia's resolve had wavered immensely, the deep hatred she had harboured for the Demon King had dissolved immediately and left her in a state of confusion and uncertainty, while she had told herself that she should focus on the things that mattered and leave her worries for later, her uncertainty was still clearly present and made it even reluctant for her to face the Demon King again.

"Ugh, all this stupid worrying is giving me a headache."

She mumbled as she placed the cloth on her forehead again, wiping the sweat away for the umpteenth time, not even noticing the slight shiver that ran through her body.

"Maybe I should put the air conditioning lower. Too much isn't good either. Alas=Ramus, don't run, you might fall and drop something. Be a good girl and wait for papa."

The child nodded and sat down happily on the couch, taking one of her colour books with her.

Emi sighed in relief as she returned to cleaning, having turned off the air conditioner and opened the window instead, she hoped it would help with ventilating the room and get rid of the suffocating feeling she had.

"Achoo! Ugh, this weather is worse than I thought."

The short sneeze and the hero's irritation were little of her concern as she tried to distract her from the inevitable that would happen soon. Putting her vacuum cleaner in the next room, she disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

The sudden call of Emi had caught Maou off guard. While he was overjoyed to see his daughter again, the Demon King did not understand the hero's sudden call. His neighbour Suzuno had told him that Emi had been very busy the last two weeks, which was why she couldn't bring Alas=Ramus. It couldn't be helped, but it was still hard for the loving father to not see his daughter. Thus, the moment he heard Alas=Ramus' voice through the phone he agreed without realising. However, the thing that made him even more surprised was that Emi was willing to have him over at her place. Despite Ashiya's protest and warnings, he still found himself standing in front of the hero's front door. Maou rang the door quickly and braced for what was waiting for him.

The door opened thirty seconds later and what Maou encountered was nothing he expected.

"You're here."

Yusa Emi, wearing a white loose T-shirt and some pants. She looked sweaty and tired and the fierce expression she showed him normally seemed to be nearly non-existent. The only thing he could do was gape as she kept the door open for the Demon King to enter.

"Papa!"

Alas=Ramus ran up to her papa and hugged his leg.

"I missed you!"

"I missed you too Alas=Ramus."

The King of Demons picked his daughter up and ruffled the top of her head.

"Oy Emi, are you alright?"

The girl sniffled slightly as she gave him an odd stare.

"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I?"

She gave him a glare as to prove her point, but that completely failed as she let out another sneeze.

"Ugh."

Maou gave her a concerned expression.

"Are you sure you are?"

"Of course! I've been cleaning this place, that's why I had to sneeze!"

The hero rebuked back with all her might.

"Since Alas=Ramus is still young, she can easily catch a cold or become sick, so it's my responsibility to make her environment clean and healthy!"

The idea of the hero Emilia cleaning her apartment was one thing, but the human Yusa Emi cleaning the place for the sake of their daughter was something completely understandable.

"Well, that explains why you're in such a poor state."

"What's the point of putting on my nice clothes, if I'm going to get dirty anyway? I have to..."

The hero trailed off as she began to wobble on her feet. She quickly leaned on the wall, to keep her support.

"Ah, are you sure you're alright? You look a bit pale."

The concern in Maou's face made the girl look defiantly back, but her gaze wasn't as intimidating as it should be.

"I... don't need the concern from the Demon King, I'm perfectly fine..."

Emi's gaze began to look more unfocused as she spoke and as Maou had expected.

"Ugh!"

Emi collapsed.

"Oy Emi! What's wrong?! Damn you're burning up!"

Maou, who had caught her the moment she collapsed, started to panic. Her forehead was warm, she was sweating and shivering at the same time. The Demon King looked frantically around the room as if it could give him some sort of solution. He cursed under his breath when he realised that it really was just the three of them.

"Ne Alas=Ramus, can show me the room where you and mama sleep?"

The child who was startled by her mother's collapse nodded as she walked to the bedroom, Maou following behind with Emi in his arms.

He placed her gently on the bed and sighed.

"Great, now what."

The Demon King was well aware that he couldn't leave Emi like that, but he did not know what he was supposed to do. As the breadwinner of his household, he was too busy with work, Ashiya was the one handling the household chores and the finances and when he became ill because of Suzuno's food, it was the Inquisitor who took care of the chores. Now both of them were not present and he couldn't drag them into this, first of all, he didn't want to involve Ashiya into the Hero's trouble and Suzuno wasn't even aware that he was at Emi's. Lucifer was useless and he knew that he could not ask Chiho either. Maou had no choice but to give in.

"Is mama alright?"

The small distraught voice of Alas=Ramus brought Maou back to reality. As the father of the little girl, he had to take the responsibility of taking care of the child and her mother.

"Don't worry, mama is just very tired! She needs to sleep for a while."

"... My fault!"

Alas=Ramus began to cry.

"I mhad muamua sick! Biiieeee!"

"Ah, no, of course, you didn't Alas=Ramus! You couldn't help it, things like this just happen! So, don't be sad!"

In a frenzy to quickly calm the little girl, who suddenly started to cry, he picked her up.

"There, there. How about we help mama a bit while she rests?"

This made the child calm down a bit as she stared at Maou with her eyes still filled with tears.

Maou walked over to the nightstand and took a few tissues, which lay there. He pressed them gently against Alas=Ramus' nose to clean the snot and placed her back on the ground.

"Watch over mama, while I look for something cold."

"*Sniff* uhuh. *sniff*"

The Demon King left to look for a towel, which took him longer than he thought. All of Emi's belonging were ordered very neatly and they seemed to be categorised too, the man had no idea where to look. After going through the house, reluctantly of course and scanning through some closets he finally found them. He took a small one and placed it under the cold water, returning to the bedroom to place it on the Hero's forehead.

"What kind of hero collapses in front of the Demon King with a fever?"

While the irony of that sentence was obviously present, Maou did not see any humour in it.

"I should also check for her temperature..."

His gaze was set on a door, which he assumed would lead to Emi's bathroom. Normally he wouldn't dare to even step into any of the rooms of the hero's apartment, but desperate times asked for desperate measures. Maou hesitated as he placed his hand on the door handle, counting to three until he opened the door and turned on the lights. Maou had a slight feeling of envy as he saw the bathroom, it had a shower, bath, toilet, a sink with soap and all. It was the one thing that the Demon Fortress lacked. On the floor lay a scrubber and cleaning products, giving away that the Hero was in the midst of cleaning the bathroom when he arrived. Even the smell of the cleaning products was strongly present, it made the Demon King cringe slightly at the unpleasant scent.

"Ugh, these things can't be healthy for the human body."

The Demon King muttered as he grabbed a jar of floor cleaner, inspecting it carefully. He placed it back where he found it as he turned towards the sink.

"Alright, where would she place the thermometer?"

Maou decided to look in the cabinets in the lowest row, opening each of them carefully, afraid of what horrid thing he might encounter. A few bottles of shampoo, for adults and infants, hair conditioner, body lotion, day creme, night creme, a sponge, cleaning products and some other products he had no idea for what purpose they served.

"Ugh, why do women need so many things?"

He moved to a higher row, where he found; makeup, nail polisher and more beauty products. Still, there was no sight of a thermometer. Trying his best to not lose his patience, the Demon King rashly opened another cabinet, observing the next item in his hands. His face went pale the moment he laid eyes on it.

"... This is..."

With bright purple coloured letters, written Sharumu* in katakana on the sides, was a packet of tampons.

Maou's brain froze for a moment before he dropped the package. Cold sweat forming on his forehead, despite knowing that the chance of getting caught was very small, he still glanced over his shoulder, imagining Emi, trying to cut him in two for looking through her private stuff and even stumbling upon such a personal product. He quickly placed it back and buried the memory deep in his consciousness, hoping it would never surface again.

"Ugh, I came unprepared."

"Papa?"

Maou froze when he heard the door open and the voice of his daughter entering the bathroom, he quickly closed the closet door and turned towards the toddler.

"W-what is it?"

She walked over to him, showing him a small rectangular box, it was the thermometer he had been looking for.

"Mama used it when my tummy hurt."

Something broke inside the Demon King's mind as he realised that he went through all the trouble for nothing.

"Ah, thank you very much."

He got up and quickly led Alas=Ramus out of the bathroom. I will bury the whole image, no the whole image of the bathroom and everything in it! She will not find out! Was the current thought that was occupying his mind.

He kneeled next to Emi as he opened the box and placed the thermometer in the hero's mouth. Father and daughter sat patiently next to each other as they waited for the thermometer to beep.

"Will mama be okay?"

"Of course, she will, there's no need to worry, papa will take care of it."

Alas=Ramus smiled upon hearing Maou's answer and grabbed his hands,

"Papa and mama will always be together!"

"Uh..."

Maou had no answer to that statement. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he heard the alarm of the thermometer go off.

"Oh, it's finished!"

He grabbed the device and stared at the numbers.

"Hmm, 39 degrees Celsius, it's a high fever. Ah, damn, I think I saw some painkillers in one of the cabinets!"

He glanced mortified at the bathroom door. Just after swearing he'd never set foot there again, he was forced to go back. Maou glanced worried at the sleeping Emi, her face didn't show any form of peacefulness and her breathing was uneven. The Demon King lowered himself to take the wet towel and see if she was still burning as much as before when she suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Father... Please, don't go... I don't want to be alone anymore..."

Maou felt his heart throb as he looked at the Hero's expression, her eyes were stained with tears. The guilt he hid all the time began to resurface. While he was aware of the truth that Emi's father was still alive somewhere in Japan, but she still went through a lot of hardships. The girl who was forced to harden her heart faced demons without fear, was now helplessly lying in bed, not one ounce of her strong demeanour was present, she seemed like a normal girl. Every wall that took her years to build to protect herself had collapsed by a mere fever, leaving her vulnerable to anything mentally or physically.

The Demon King let out a sigh as he cleared the sweat from her forehead and turned towards Alas=Ramus.

"Alright, let's finish mama's work first. Alas=Ramus, do you want to help?"

"Yes!"

The girl stood up, one arm in the air as she answered her papa honestly.

"I want to help mama feel better!"

A grin appeared on the Demon King's face.

"That's good to hear! Now let's do this!"

* * *

Emi let out a groan as she slowly regained consciousness. Her body felt heavy, sore, hot and cold at the same time, covered in sweat and she was shivering. While her headache had diminished greatly, it was still present. She lifted herself from the bed with difficulty, groaning due to the aching of her muscles. Noticing an extra blanket on top of her regular one, the hero frowned. She glanced around, trying to remember what happened before she collapsed.

"What happened?"

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by the smell of food and the sound of boiling oil reaching her. Emi got up from her bed, taking the blanket with her to keep her warm. She opened the door slightly and peered into the room.

"Oh, you're up!"

To the Hero's surprise, the Demon King stood in her kitchen, clothed in an apron. Alas=Ramus stood next to him, wearing the same kind of apron, but in a smaller size. While any normal person would find the father and daughter in matching aprons adorable, Emi only had one thought.

"What are you doing?"

Her voice still had not returned to its original tone, but it was clear that the few hours of rest made a difference.

"I read somewhere that stew is made for people who are sick, so I decided to make some. It's not very easy I have to admit, but we're working it out."

"Mama will become healthy soon!"

The comment from the little girl broke any strange tension Emi felt, looking from and to Maou and Alas=Ramus, she frowned.

"Since when do you cook?"

"Ah about that, I found this on your bookshelf."

He showed her the only cooking book, she had purchased when she first arrived in Japan. The fact that he had searched through her belongings irritated the Hero.

"To be honest, I was reluctant, I can't leave a sick person alone to buy a cooking book, besides, Ashiya would have my head and I can't trouble your neighbours because I know you don't want them to misunderstand."

That was currently one of the least worrisome things for the Hero, since every other passerby they came across during their 'family' outings already mistook them as a married couple. She decided to let it slide since it wasn't something personal and she didn't have much time to try any recipes from the book anyway. She glanced back at the father and daughter pair, eyeing them suspiciously.

"You let Alas=Ramus help you?"

"I didn't allow her near any sharp object, so rest assured and I made sure she would keep her distance from the fire. She was very stubborn and wanted to help out, so I gave her a few minor things to do, nothing that impressive."

"Papa, here is the salt!"

"Thank you Alas=Ramus, now go to mama, she probably felt very lonely."

Alas=Ramus nodded as she ran towards Emi, who had not moved from her spot since she entered the room, too speechless upon seeing the strange scene. She hugged her daughter, patting her head gently, but she kept a suspicious expression as she stared at the Demon King.

"Have... you been cleaning?"

"I just noticed that you weren't finished and decided that it would be better to do it for you, it's not such a big deal. In MgRonalds, the employees have to clean the place too during closing hours."

A slight feeling of gratitude crept inside Emi's chest. She stared at Alas=Ramus, who was comfortable in the arms of her mama. The conflicting feelings that the Hero decided to ignore for the time being resurfaced again.

"Now let's check up on your temperature."

"Ehh?!"

The sudden closeness of Maou shocked Emi. He placed his hand on her forehead, making her feel even warmer than before, her cheeks flushed at the intimate gesture.

"Don't come closer!"

On reflex, she quickly slapped his hand away, she turned around as she planned to return back to the bedroom.

"I'll go check my temperature myself."

The words came out so soft that the Hero thought he couldn't hear her.

"Well, it seems you're almost back to your old self, that's good, but don't force yourself too much."

Emi placed Alas=Ramus back on the ground, before she headed back to her room, leaving the Demon King and the little girl staring at the Hero's retreating back. Maou was quiet, various thoughts running through his mind.

"Ah, I left the stove on the fire!"

The stove, which Maou left to cook was almost forgotten. He quickly ran back and grabbed it, nearly burning his fingers.

"Agh, hot, hot!"

He placed it on the side and turned off the fire, quickly placing his hands in the cold water of the kitchen sink.

"I'm surprised how Ashiya is able to do this with ease. I should praise him more for his noble deeds."

The Demon King mumbled as he dried his hands and proceeded to take out a bowl and a spoon.

He walked carefully towards the Hero's bedroom and opened the door carefully, where he found the Hero with Alas=Ramus sitting on the woman's lap, telling her mama what she did today. The Demon King smiled upon seeing the innocent scene of the two. He knocked on the door, announcing his presence.

"Food is ready!"

Alas=Ramus slid from her mama's lap on the ground when Maou placed the tray with the stew on Emi's lap.

"Uhm, thanks..."

She did not dare to look at the Demon King straight in the eye and stared awkwardly at the food when she mumbled her thank you.

"Aren't you going to eat? I mean, you're probably hungry and it's practically my fault you're stuck here..."

Maou stared at her as she stumbled on her words, her face slightly flushed, from which he assumed was her fever. He had to admit she looked cute that way, not that he would ever admit it. Sick or not, the Hero would have his head if he told her that. Emi noticed the man's lack of words and glared.

"What!?"

"It's nothing, I mean. Alright, I made a bit too much stew anyway."

"And make sure to cool down Alas=Ramus' portion! She's still a child, so she can't handle it when it's too hot!"

"I know that you're not the only one who has been taking care of her."

He disappeared behind the door again, Alas=Ramus following behind, happily calling after her papa.

Emi sighed as she turned her attention to the stew. It didn't look bad, but the Hero knew well enough how easily appearance can fool others, the man in her kitchen was another proof of that. She took the spoon carefully, holding the content close to her mouth, after convincing herself that she experienced enough bad cooking during her journey in Ente Isla, she quickly put the spoon in her mouth and gulped it down. To her surprise, it didn't taste that bad, sure it wasn't the best meal, but it wasn't bad either, acceptable was how she would put it. The Hero took another bite, this time with more certainty.

The door opened again, startling the woman and almost spilled her meal.

"Ah, you have begun to eat already?!"

The Hero could not believe when she saw the Demon King re-enter her room with their daughter. Alas=Ramus walked towards Emi with a bowl in her hands, trying her best to not spill any contents.

"Don't walk too fast."

"Un!"

Following her papa's warning, careful with her steps she sat next to Emi and smiled.

"I want to eat with papa and mama!"

The cute declaration was something both parents were unable to refuse.

Maou also slid to the floor and ate his stew, trying his best to not spill anything on the carpet.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"I guess, the thermometer showed 38.5 degrees."

"So, it's gone down by a little. That's good to hear. Oy, Alas=Ramus don't spill any food we've cleaned this place not long ago."

Maou answered honestly as he wiped Alas=Ramus' mouth.

While it was hard to admit, but staying like this really did feel like they were an ordinary Japanese family.

"So, how is it possible for the great Hero to collapse like that? Suzuno told me that you've been busy, but your work can't be that stressful and don't you have holy magic?"

While Maou did not know how Emi replenished her holy magic, he was sure that it could keep her from any injuries or even health problems.

"... I think I caught it from Alas=Ramus."

Emi admitted with a lot of reluctance. She looked away, already expecting what would be coming next.

"WHAT?! Alas=Ramus fell ill?!"

The Demon King quickly turned his attention to his daughter who was scooping a spoon with stew in her mouth.

"Are you alright now Alas=Ramus? Did it hurt? Are you all better? Emi, why didn't you say anything?!"

"What could I say? Hey Demon King, Alas=Ramus is sick. Can you come over here and help with looking after her? You have to work, remember?"

"So do you! Don't tell me you went to work while being merged with her!"

"They only allowed a few days, I can't just tell my boss the whole story about Alas=Ramus!"

"But you couldn't just leave her like that either! How can you work with a child crying in your mind? No wonder you got sick!"

"Mama, papa no fighting!"

The tension between the two adults immediately decreased after the scolding of the little girl.

"Just call next time, even if I can't do much, I'm also her parent."

"I got it."

They both returned to the silence from before, only now it felt awkward. Both ashamed of getting a scolding from their two-year-old daughter.

"Emi, how about you take a shower and change into something else after you're done? I'll do the dishes in the meantime."

"I will, thanks for the reminder."

Unable to break the awkwardness, the Demon King and the Hero decided to finish their food in silence.

* * *

Maou stared at the dirty dishes in the sink and at the dishwasher. Another luxury that he couldn't afford for his Demon Castle, that and since they used plastic plates, it wasn't necessary to purchase one. The Hero really had her life much better organised than the demons.

"Alright, how does this thing work..."

The Demon King examined the dishwasher, scanning the racks, buttons everything. He was never good with electronics. Back when they had to go to a laundry service to have their clothes washed, Maou would ask how it worked and the one they had at home works similar so he had no trouble handling that, but the dishwasher...

"You have to open it, papa!"

Alas=Ramus opened the dishwasher and placed her bowl inside, she walked to the sink and tried to reach it with her short legs. Seeing his daughter's desire to help he smiled and picked her up."

"Ah!"

"Alright, Alas=Ramus is going to help papa, right?"

"Un!"

Happily, she took another bowl. Maou put her down and took the stove, utensils and his bowl and placed them inside the dishwasher. After closing the door, the Demon King lifted his daughter and let her push the buttons for the dishwasher. The machine began to work in seconds.

"Humans are really incredible for coming up with all these things."

"Wash goes flush!"

While Alas=Ramus could not pronounce dishwasher, Maou knew exactly what she meant.

As Maou continued with his admiration for technology, the door opened and Emi stepped inside the room, changed into a white blouse and denim jeans. Her damp hair was loosely wrapped in a towel. She looked much better than when she collapsed. Figuring out how the dishwasher worked took him longer than he expected.

"I just thought that you needed some help with the dishwasher."

"Don't worry about that. Alas=Ramus helped me out."

"Un! I'm a good girl and helped papa!"

"She's such a smart girl!"

"I see, well, that's good."

"Don't you need more rest? You still have a fever."

"Yeah, but the shower helped a lot, so my head doesn't hurt as much and my body isn't shivering as much either."

Right, when Emi said that she let out a sneeze. Maou stared at her suspiciously, while she evaded his gaze stubbornly.

"At least, bring a blanket with you. Did you take painkillers?

"Yeah, I took them before I took a shower."

Maou quickly walked into Emi's bedroom and took the blanket, placing it on the Hero's shoulders.

"If you need to fresh up yourself, feel free to use the bathroom. You have my permission, but if you do anything suspicious or snoop through my stuff, I will cut you in half!"

The Demon King froze at her sudden statement and glanced at her suspiciously.

"Are you sure?"

"It's the least I can do for your unusual behaviour..."

"Heh, do you still see me as such a horrible person?"

"Nice or not, you're still the Demon King."

"It's not like it's a bad thing!"

"To me and the people of Ente Isla, it is!"

"Besides, I don't have a spare of clothes with me."

"You don't need to change clothes, it's just to freshen up. Besides hearing that coming from a guy who would walk around in his boxers when he's at home is weird."

"I only do that in summer because the heat is unbearable!"

"Pu!"

Emi couldn't contain the building laughter and let out a chuckle.

"A-anyway, just go freshen up already, what would Alciel say when you come home smelling like cleaning products."

This was something the Demon King could not rebuke. He finally gave in and walked into the room he had sworn to never step foot again.

Emi smiled after Maou closed the door. She glanced at Alas=Ramus.

"Go join papa, you probably need a shower too."

"Alright!"

The girl eagerly ran towards the bathroom door, followed by Emi who opened it from the side so the child could enter.

"What are you?! Alas=Ramus? Emi, what are you planning?!"

"Mama said I can shower with papa!

The Demon King's desperate shrieks made it even better for the Hero, who just closed the door immediately without taking a glance, ignoring the shouts aimed at her. She returned to the living room and collapsed on her couch, feeling fatigue overcoming her. She took another glance around, taking notice of the results of Maou's hard word. The furniture was free of dust, the windows were shining, no spots and everything was clearly in its place.

Was that even necessary for him to do? Really, what am I supposed to think? Those where Emi's last thoughts before she drifted to sleep.

* * *

After thirty minutes Maou and Alas=Ramus finally got out of the bathroom. The child was running energetically while her papa tried his best to calm her down.

"Alas=Ramus, your hair is still wet! If we don't dry it you could get sick again!"

He quickly grabbed the girl and began to dry her hair with a towel.

"Now, where does Emi place the hair dryer? Emi, where can I find the..."

After opening the door to the living room, he found the Hero sleeping peacefully on the couch a content smile on her face. No signs of the distressed face she showed a while ago. She looked like an angel, sleeping peacefully. The irony in it made the Demon King smile.

"Papa?"

"Let mama rest for a while longer, okay?"

"Alright!"

He closed the door and returned to the bathroom so that's he could dry Alas=Ramus properly.

* * *

"I can't believe this..."

A mocking smile was placed graciously on the hero's lips

"Ugh..."

"Really, what has the world come to?"

"..."

Maou could not rebuke any of Emi's taunting as he tried to cover his head.

"What happened to your big words from the other day?"

"Papa's tummy hurts?"

"..."

"Yusa-san, please be nicer to Maou-san."

"I would never imagine that the Demon King would disintegrate so suddenly. Have his activities at work exceeded his limits?"

"I'm hungry!"

"Could you all PLEASE be a bit more quiet?! Your demonic highness needs to rest!"

Ashiya's voice was sharp and firm.

At 10:00 am in the morning at the Demon Fortress in Villa Rosa Sasazuka. Yusa Emi, having recovered completely from her fever, decided to stop by again so that Alas=Ramus could spend some time with her father, but when she arrived, she was greeted with a weak, sweaty, crumbled Demon King, who was laying on the floor, covered with a towel and a makeshift pillow made by their books. It was honestly one of the most pathetic sights ever. Suzuno, being their neighbour, offered to help, of course, and was currently chopping vegetables in the small kitchen and Chiho, the only human aware of the true identities of the people present in the room sat next to Maou, checking his temperature. Urushihara had locked himself in the closet like always, making sure he would not catch Maou's fever and Ashiya, being the devoted househusband, tried his best to make it comfortable for his King. All those people along with the Hero and the child of the Holy Sword made it very cramped and hard for Maou to relax.

"Thanks, Ashiya, but your voice isn't helping much either."

Maou grumbled as he held a cold, wet towel against his forehead.

Emi sighed as she stepped into the living room, placing Alas=Ramus a bit further away from Maou.

"Normally, I would go home, since me being here wouldn't help much with this crowd and because you could pass on your fever to Alas=Ramus. But after your kind gesture from the other day, it can't be helped. Alas=Ramus, don't get too close to papa, alright?"

"Un."

The child was slightly disappointed by Emi's words, but still listened."

"Gesture? Has the Demon King assisted you with anything?"

The words Emi said did not go unheard by the others.

"Now that you mention it. My liege got a call from the Hero the other day and he left the house abruptly. What was it that she asked you to do?"

After mentioning the phone call from Emi, Ashiya turned towards Maou, awaiting an explanation. Everyone, except for Emi was waiting curiously for an answer.

Maou kept silent for a while. After that day, both Demon King and the Hero promised to never slip any word about what had occurred that day, in fear of not only receiving a lecture from Ashiya on Maou's part, but also to prevent a misunderstanding from Chiho.

"Uh... Well. You see."

"Papa took care of mama! Now mama takes care of papa!"

The words coming from the innocent Alas=Ramus, who had no idea about the consequences of her sentence made the whole room drop a few degrees in temperature. Maou and Emi's minds froze immediately as they were getting stared at by everyone.

"M-m-m-Maou-san, wh-w-what does Alas=Ramus-chan mean by that?!"

"Maou-sama, don't tell me you caught the Hero's fever!"

"Wait, Chi-chan, Ashiya! It's not what you think! Emi, don't just stand there and say something! Ugh!"

Despite Maou's strong protest, his fever prevented him from continuing and he collapsed immediately on the ground.

"So, the Demon King paid Emilia a personal visit? How did he discover your residence?"

"Bell, it really isn't what you think!"

"Those guys are really noisy..."

Urushihara mumbled those words as he peered into the room, sighing and closed it once again.

**Author's Note:**

> *Sharumu is the parody of the brand Charm, which is an actual brand in Japan.


End file.
